The ultimate guide to the Milan Design Week 2018: The countdown is running – only 3 days and a couple of hours left until the start of Fuorisalone. But wait! Where can I find Fuorisalone? Since the Milan Design Week is such a huge event, and one could get lost easily, we decided to create a proper guide to Milan Design Week 2018. So nobody will miss out any incredible things and everybody will catch up the latest design trends. Enjoy our ultimate guide to the Milan Design Week 2018 and see you there.

To begin with, some background information. Milan Design Week 2018 has been started on the 17th of April, and until the 22nd of April you can discover the latest trends and movements in the design scene. With a packed program of innovations for more than 300,000 expected visitors from over 165 different countries, Milan Design Week 2018 is surely one of the main events of the year.

More than 2,000 exhibitors are ranging over an exhibition area covering more than 200,000 m2, presenting outstanding products and solutions for contemporary living with an informed eye to the future and which combine design, technology, flexibility and sustainability.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile or ISaloni is held concurrently with the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, split into the various style categories.

As always, the exhibits at EuroCucina and FTK (Technology For the Kitchen) determine the trends and spark inspiration: tomorrow’s kitchen will be an interconnected, multipurpose and professional place, yet one where emotions never fail to run high.

Similarly, the International Bathroom Exhibition is showcasing a wide range of extremely high-end goods, responding to the increasingly pressing demand for excellent performance with an eye to relaxation. If you love bathrooms or kitchens, the EuroCucina /FTK (Technology For the Kitchen) and the International Bathroom Exhibition are the events for you!

To better explain this year’s edition of Salone del Mobile, a press conference was held in Milano by its event’s organization. Beppe Sala, Mayor of Milan, and Carlo Luti, President of Salone del Mobile were the leaders of this conference. They produced the Design Manifesto of this year’ edition.

This manifesto says that Salone del Mobile is based on eight pivotal points that work as a compass to sublimate the commercial event in the bridgehead of the whole innovation system of the city. Those who are looking for historical anticipations, brilliant intuitions or brilliant inventions by copywriters would be disappointed. Because the values of Enterprise, Quality, Project, System, Youth, Communication, Culture and Milan At the Center, that are the cornerstones of the Manifesto, are not aimed at upsetting the foundations of the system, but only want to promote its virtuous action by imposing the love-mark Salone as an effective experience that works better and better than others.

Looking for the text that accompanies every value, to emerge is an invitation to work on the cohesion of the system, its many protagonists and above all the city that is at the base of the Salone itself. A point of reference has to do with sustainability, already announced by the Manifesto under the heading of Quality and which is expressed in the proposal of one of the most innovative and technological architects of the international scene, Carlo Ratti.

From April 17th to 29th, in Piazza del Duomo in front of Palazzo Reale, an installation dedicated to the relationship between nature and living will take place which also wants to break the line between Salone and Fuorisalone, bringing for the first time some of the institutional fairs in the city. For the rest, all that remains is to wait for the proposals of over 2000 exhibitors, who are looking forward to the over 300,000 international visitors estimated for this 57th edition.

Joining the likes of Boca do Lobo and DelightFull at Salone del Mobile.Milano, we’ll have other powerful brands, but we are going to pay close attention to the Italian brands that traditionally have a strong showing at ISaloni. Fendi Casa, B&B Italia, Missoni Home, CasaMilano, Sahrai Milano or Terzani are likely to cause a strong impact!

As one of the Design Capitals of Europe, Milan has more events happening during the Milan Design Week besides the Salone del Mobile.Milano. A sort of Sister Event of ISaloni is the “Fuorisalone”, a term that’s used to define the events and exhibitions that animate the entire city of Milan during Milan’s Design Week.

During the Fuorisalone, many of the stunning design places in Milan will feature longer opening hours. It’s expected that the most important brands located in the design districts of Milan will introduce their new collections and host special events with live music and entertainment for a totally unmissable extravaganza.

Although the events are usually scattered throughout the city, the Fuorisalone recognizes a series of main districts, namely Porta Venezia, San Babila, Tortona, The 5 Vie, Sant’Ambrogio or San Gregorio. During the Fuorisalone, these districts take centre stage with an abundance of events including DJ sets, exhibitions and performances hosted at various locations across the city, comprising former industrial spaces, ateliers, artisanal workshops, ‘botteghe’ and the showrooms of big-name brands.

In the early 2000s if you said Fuorisalone you meant SuperStudio and Tortona. Today this district is the showcase of the biggest names from the design industry. In 2017, the Tortona Design District has played its trump cards: Base Milano, a new multifunctional venue, located at the former industrial Ansaldo complex, that in 2017 hosted exhibitions and projects dedicated to the theme of nomadic living, with portable, floating houses, user-friendly objects and itinerant structures. Base Milano will return in 2018 with more novelties and exhibitions! If you visit Tortona you must stop by Base Milano, but you can’t skip the SuperStudio.

In 2017, the Ventura Lambrate district was split into two with the inauguration of aspace located in the underground tunnels of the Central Railway Station (Ventura Centrale, 116). It is reasonable to think that during the Fuorisalone 2018 it will develop and give life to a brand new design district.

For a more artsy feel, you must stop by the artsiest neighbourhood of Milan: Brera. With its narrow and cobbled streets, Brera boasts a dense concentration of antique shops, galleries, showrooms and prestigious locations. During the Fuorisalone, Brera offers a high-profile events calendar, featuring several of the world’s most prestigious brands, and focuses on attracting a design savvy, culturally oriented public. We believe da the locations at Brera won’t disappoint this year and will once again provide design and entertainment in abundance!

If you want to skip tradition and try something new, then you should stop by the Isola Design District. It was presented at the 2017 edition of Fuorisalone and attracted a lot of positive feedback. It’s a new hub for design and creativity right under the shade of the Milanese skyscrapers and the Bosco Verticale.

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